


A Mother's Intuition

by eagleharpies



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Owen still dies in this one sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:47:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28624344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eagleharpies/pseuds/eagleharpies
Summary: It’s alright, she told him. I don’t need to know who you are. You’ve saved me from a horrible fate. That’s enough for me.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Shmi Skywalker, Luke Skywalker & Shmi Skywalker, Owen Lars & Shmi Skywalker
Kudos: 8





	A Mother's Intuition

**Author's Note:**

> shrugs. have another grief fic lol. it's short and sad so if this isn't your cup of tea, i would stay away.

_ The Force surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.  _

When Anakin found Shmi, she was at Death’s door. Anakin brought Shmi to one of the Banthas tethered to the outside of the Sand People’s camp. He had a hunch, and hopefully it worked. He would try to use the Bantha’s life force to retain some of Shmi’s, enough that he wouldn’t kill the Bantha, but Shmi would also live. She would need some extra medical attention of course, but Anakin wanted to do something, even if it seemed impossible. If the Bantha’s life force works… then maybe, just maybe, Anakin could try something on top of that as well. 

Anakin tried to influence her thoughts, make her forget about her trauma and suffering, help her remember who she was and how much he loved her. But Anakin’s own grief was too strong. With every passing minute, Shmi forgot her trauma, and she forgot him as well. 

_ It’s alright _ , she told him.  _ I don’t need to know who you are. You’ve saved me from a horrible fate. That’s enough for me.  _

He just cried and clutched her closer, tears spilling over her hair as she stroked the back of his head. Through his tears he thought it was funny;  _ he _ was supposed to be comforting  _ her _ . 

Replacing her memories would be harder said than done. Anakin loaded Shmi onto his landspeeder and raced back to the Lars’ home. 

Shmi now lives on Tatooine in the wasteland beyond Anchorhead, alone. She comes to the city sometimes, alone. She sees that boy on occasion, alone. Everything she does, she's alone. But a mother never forgets. She never forgets the feeling of cradling her son, and the hot desert heat, and fear. She never forgets the feeling of holding her son in her arms after... after what? She feels victory. She never forgets the feeling of grief, caressing her son's face as he cries over her, and she never forgets the feeling of sudden darkness taking hold. 

Shmi knows her son must be old and waning, for she is, too. But that boy in the Anchorhead marketplace looks so full of life, so like her son. She feels a bit of life come back to her. 

The boy sells moisture. His aunt and uncle are moisture farmers, he tells her. Shmi has a vague memory of standing on salt flats, looking down on an underground home. Good for protection, she thinks. He tells her he'd rather race pods or attend classes at the academy. She feels she's had a similar conversation before, in another time. She doesn't know why. 

On occasion, the boy visits with his uncle. Shmi always has delicious snacks prepared for such a time. The boy’s uncle never steps foot inside her home, preferring to wait in the landspeeder. Shmi tells the boy to bring the snacks back to his family, and enjoy them. 

One day, only the uncle comes in. Luke had some chores, he says. Putting their new droids to work. The uncle, she learns is called Owen, never looks Shmi in the eye. He avoids talking, even when she prompts him. Snacks are exchanged for moisture. Owen is one foot out the door, but he turns and asks her name; he never caught it, and Luke never asked. 

Shmi, she says. 

Owen, for the first time, looks her in the eye. He drops his gaze almost immediately, but decides to look up once again. It was nice to see her, he says, and he fidgets, wanting to say more. Shmi invites him to stay longer, to say what he needs to say. He refuses, and bids her a good evening. 

He steps out of her home, and Shmi feels dread. 

She never sees him, or Luke, again. 

Years later, she feels a lancing pain shoot through her chest. She receives news that the Death Star has been destroyed. She's never liked the Empire, but always felt a connection to it, something she could never explain.

Shmi falls to her knees. Every night following the fall of the Empire, she sees ghosts. 

**Author's Note:**

> shrugs again. i wrote this like two years ago back when i was a baby fic writer haha.


End file.
